Deaths At Coal Mines Increased In 2017

15 workers died in Coal mines last year according to new data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. This is an increase over the 9 deaths that occurred in U.S. coal mines in 2016, a record low. 8 miners died in West Virginia, with 3 miner deaths occurring in Kentucky, while one worker died in Colorado, Wyoming, Alabama, Montana and Pennsylvania. A worker died at the Deserado Mine near Rangely in August, after he was crushed by a trough, a container used to clean coal. The death in Wyoming occurred in September at the Bridger Mine near Rock Springs, where a worker was killed after a slab of coal fell on him. The data shows that seven of the eight U.S. coal mining deaths that occurred in the first half of 2017 involved miners with one year or less experience at the mine where they were hurt, while six involved miners with one year or less of total mining experience. A link to the Fatal Accident report for coal mines is available here.